The two dominant pictures in the 1997 awards race were not the two most nominated pictures when combining all of the points I allocate to the results of critics' awards and polls for the year. '97's CCA nominations leaders were As Good as It Gets and The Sweet Hereafter with six apiece, beating L.A. Confidential and Titanic with their respective fives, and fellow Best Picture nominee Boogie Nights with four. Paul Thomas Anderson's sophomore feature follows in the footsteps of Secrets & Lies last year by missing a mention for its screenplay, though what makes that odd detail even odder is that its chances were doubled, as '97 becomes the first year to enjoy separate screenplay categories for original and adapted works (it also adds Best Documentary). Shit, even Titanic got in for its screenplay! Though all five Picture nominees did receive mentions for their directors, making this the first year to match Picture and Director exactly. Note that this is also the first year since I started revealing nominations in which two Oscar winners for acting miss: Kim Basinger and Robin Williams in each supporting category. Check back later when I reveal the winners across all 11 categories, whose nominations are below.
Best Picture
As Good as It Gets (James L. Brooks, Bridget Johnson and Kristi Zea)
Boogie Nights (Paul Thomas Anderson, Lloyd Levin, John S. Lyons and JoAnne Sellar)
L.A. Confidential (Curtis Hanson, Arnon Milchan and Michael G. Nathanson)
The Sweet Hereafter (Atom Egoyan and Camelia Frieberg)
Titanic (James Cameron and Jon Landau)
Best Director
Paul Thomas Anderson (Boogie Nights)
James L. Brooks (As Good as It Gets)
James Cameron (Titanic)
Atom Egoyan (The Sweet Hereafter)
Curtis Hanson (L.A. Confidential)
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Helena Bonham Carter (The Wings of the Dove)
Julie Christie (Afterglow)
Judi Dench (Mrs. Brown)
Alison Folland (All Over Me)
Helen Hunt (As Good as It Gets)
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Robert Duvall (The Apostle)
Peter Fonda (Ulee's Gold)
Ian Holm (The Sweet Hereafter)
Jack Nicholson (As Good as It Gets)
Al Pacino (Donnie Brasco)
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Joan Cusack (In & Out)
Julianne Moore (Boogie Nights)
Debbi Morgan (Eve's Bayou)
Sarah Polley (The Sweet Hereafter)
Gloria Stuart (Titanic)
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Rupert Everett (My Best Friend's Wedding)
Anthony Hopkins (Amistad)
Greg Kinnear (As Good as It Gets)
Burt Reynolds (Boogie Nights)
Kevin Spacey (L.A. Confidential)
Best Original Screenplay
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon (Good Will Hunting)
Mark Andrus and James L. Brooks (Good Will Hunting)
James Cameron (Titanic)
Robert Duvall (The Apostle)
Kevin Smith (Chasing Amy)
Best Adapted Screenplay
Paul Attanasio (Donnie Brasco)
Atom Egoyan (The Sweet Hereafter)
Curtis Hanson and Brian Helgeland (L.A. Confidential)
Hilary Henkin and David Mamet (Wag the Dog)
Paul Schrader (Touch)
Best Cinematography
Russell Carpenter (Titanic)
Roger Deakins (Kundun)
Frederick Elmes (The Ice Storm)
Declan Quinn (Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love)
Dante Spinotti (L.A. Confidential)
Best Documentary
4 Little Girls (Spike Lee and Samuel D. Pollard)
Fast, Cheap & Out of Control (Errol Morris)
Riding the Rails (Lexy Lovell and Michael Uys)
Sick: The Life & Death of Bob Flanagan, Sadomasochist (Kirby Dick)
Soul in the Hole (Lilibet Foster and Danielle Gardner)
Best Foreign Language Film
Ma Vie en Rose (Alain Berliner and Carole Scotta)
Ponette (Jacques Doillon and Alain Sarde)
La Promesse (Hassen Daldoul, Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne and Claude Waringo)
Shall We Dance? (Masui Shoji, Ogata Yuji and Suo Masayuki)
Underground (Emir Kusturica)
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